RELaY conference

Last Week some 170 European Christian leaders from over 22 nations arrived in Malta for the RELaY Leadership Conference which was held at the Seashells Resort at Suncrest, Qawra. And what a great experience it was!

RELaY, which stands for Reconciliation, Evangelization, Lay Leadership and Youth, is a European Network of Leaders, and has been organizing such gatherings in different countries all over Europe with the aim of equipping leaders with both practical principles and useful tools. This is the seventh such Conference being organized, and the first time that Malta hosted it. Together with the team from RELaY, the Maltese organizing team and various members of the Cenacolo Community and Youth fellowship did a great job in ensuring the success of the Conference “Church Quo Vadis?” The hotel was buzzing with Crew members, ready on the spot to help out, greet, guide and generally serve the participants.

The RELaY Conference offered great teachings, significant times of fellowship and fun and above all beautiful moments in which we knew God’s presence amongst us.  The Conference was highly interactive, with a number of workshops on prayer, healing, sexuality, finances, evangelisations and soon. Leaders from the Cenacolo Community contributed to these and the plenary sessions alongside other speakers from other international communities and ministries.

The three bands from our Community also served at the conference on a good number of occasions, leading the participants into wonderful times of praise and worship as did the bands from Holland and Slovakia. The healing session on Friday evening was a blessed experience. It was touching to see the body of Christ come together from such diverse backgrounds to pray for healing and receive the power of the Holy Spirit.

On Sunday, we were honoured to have His Excellency the Archbishop Paul Cremona celebrating the concluding Mass. He gave an excellent teaching which was very-well received by the participants.

On an informal level, this conference was also a great opportunity to network with hundreds of other like-minded Christian leaders from across Europe. We trust the Lord will open new avenues for exchange of resources, prayer and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the Church all over Europe.

Here are some of the comments of the participants

I received so many blessings from the Relay conference. It was the encouragement I need to serve within Youth Fellowship and my parish, knowing that the Catholic Church is so alive and joyful all over Europe! It wasn’t simply a conference, but a new personal encounter with God!
Donata – Malta

I was really impacted and blessed by the RELaY conference! I liked the way the program was set up and the workshops offered. I cannot wait to put into practice what I’ve learned during the conference! My highlight were definitely the worship times and Dale’s inputs. What an encouraging, uplifting and eye-opening experience filled with God’s presence, lots of joy and precious fellowship!
Michelle – Austria

What a combination!!! Inspirational, prophetic, instructional and practical.
We feel that everyone is taking back a tool box to better equip their leaders. The experience of all the cultures together has been enriching, fun and refreshing. We all go back encouraged Thank you!
Alfonso and Debee – Spain

First of all, I would like to thank you and the whole Relay team for organizing the conference. Personally, I enjoyed every bit of it. It’s a great platform for getting to know each other and sharing experiences.  I think that there was the right mixture of worship moments, prayer, workshops and tracks. The themes were very interesting and appropriate for today’s situation. Great job done by all the speakers. Many stories and words were said that touched my heart and I know that I was not the only one. Indeed, God is great. Special greetings to the Maltese band, God really touched my soul through them! :)
Andjelka – Croatia

It was our pleasure to be in Malta. The island is so beautiful and the people so kind and warm. I really enjoyed being there. The conference was well organized, the speakers were awesome. My favourite part was the worship time. God was definitely there during those four days. The Maltese team did a great job. God bless you all
Erika – Romania

Relay was a such an enriching experience. Through the teachings & sharing with other leaders God’s light shone in my life & the whole experience strengthened me & renewed my faith in Him.
Alistair – Malta

I had an amazing and blessed time connecting with wonderful people who share my beliefs. The island surprised us all and clearly God was present because he spoke to all of us one way or another. Many thanks to the organisers for making this happen. God bless you! On the behalf of Romanian team.
Roberta – Romania

The Lord spoke to me in my heart this week and now that the conference is over I can really feel the changes taking place within. The Spirit was really powerful and we have The Lord as well as the organisers to thank for it. The speakers were very good, their take on the issues involved in spiritual leadership and evangelization spoke directly to us in a way that showed how in touch they were. All of this was made possible by God’s grace I’m sure, but also by the efforts of all involved, for this I thank you and pray that the fruits will only serve to bring us all closer to Christ.
Ronnie – Gibraltar.

RELaY was an amazing experience. It was full of many inspirational speakers and I feel blessed to be part of this large family.
Paul – Gibraltar

On a personal level, Relay was a God-sent invitation nudging me to start including trust in my faith journey.  On a community level, it was a great place for nurturing participants into effective faith pit stops.
Anne Marie – Malta

It was amazing to have RELaY at the beautiful island of Malta. You guys facilitated everything so well. You showed us a real, open and filled with love hospitality.
Matthijs – Holland

We have enjoyed the possibility that was given us to lead worship at RELaY. The technology that was available and the sound guys where very friendly and served us so well. Their job made our worship time a real moment of prayer. Be encouraged guys!
Jacob’s Ladder – Dutch Worship Team